Marble game structure



Feb. 17, 1959 G. w. HAWS 2,873,975

MARBLE GAME STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 2'7, 1956 F /G. 4. I INVENTOR. I GORDON- w. l IAWS ATTORNEYS United States Patent MARBLE GAME STRUCTURE Gordon W. Haws, Logan, Utah Application September 27, 1956, Serial No. 612,505

5 'Claims. (Cl. 273-134) of the playing pieces, whereby a new challenge and a dynamic play factor are introduced.

Principal objects of the invention are to provide a game structure offering new entertainment interest in the playing of indoor table games among several opposing players, as well as to provide a new game that is simple to play, so as to appeal to children as well as to adults, that may be played with two or more opposing players with almost equal challenge and. interest, that may be played over and over again without losing appeal, and that may be manufactured on a mass production basis for sale at a reasonable price.

An outstanding feature of the invention is the provision, in the game board, of a plurality of individual play areas sloping gradually in converging formation from a low level to a higher level, such play areas being provided, respectively, with ascending rows of mutually spaced means, such as peg-receiving holes, for securing marble-restraining elements, such as pegs, in marble-restraining position, and the provision of playing pieces comprising marbles, or similar balls, and marble-restraining elements, the latter being adapted for individual placement in the respective securing means of the playing board when the player concerned obtains a required reading from the chance device, preferably a pair of dice.

Further objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the particular preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a top plan view of the game board structure as it appears during play by only two players but being in a form capable of accommodating four players;

Fig. 2, front elevation of the game board structure and playing pieces as they appear in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4, a perspective view drawn to a somewhat enlarged scale and showing one of the marble-restraining playing pieces used with this particular form of the game board.

Referring to the drawing:

In the specific construction illustrated, the game board has the form of a truncated, four-sided pyramid,

Patented Feb. 17, 1959 whose lateral sides or facets 11 slope upwardly on a gradual incline to converge at the mouth of a cup-like recess 12.

Such playing board 10 is advantageously made from a block of wood, being cut and shaped by power tools well known to the woodworking art. It may, however, be made in the form shown from other materials and in other ways, for example, from papier-mache or a suitable plastic material by molding techniques. Still other materials are possible of use in other forms of the structure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Each of the sides or facets 11 provides anindividual play area, and all of these play areas are provided with mutually spaced securing means for receiving and retaining respective ball-restraining playing pieces, such means being here arranged in convergently ascending patterns which are mutually similar as between the several individual play areas.

The ball-restraining pieces in this illustrated form of the game structure of the invention are cylindrical pegs inserted in the recesses, but will be frictionally held therein.

The only other playing pieces are balls 15, which are advantageously ordinary marbles. They are supplied in.

number corresponding to a whole integer multiple of the number of lateral sides of the playing board, so

15, so that any mutually adjacent pair of pegs 13 extending transversely of a play area 11 will restrain a marble 15 placed therebetween, see Fig. 1. They are also preferably positioned perpendicularly with respect to the surface of the particular play areas 11.

Such holes or recesses 14 are preferably arranged in successive transverse rows 16, which successively decrease in length from bottom to top of the convergent, triangularly configurated play areas 11, preferably by onefor each row. The holes or recesses 14 of each row above the bottom are desirably staggered in position relative to the next lower row, as indicated.

Various rules may be formulated for playing the game. For example, the rules may prescribe that the individual players, who play in turns one after another as in most games, be required to obtain a number from the throw of the dice that corresponds to the number of holes or recesses 14 in the bottom row before any pegs can be placed in the play areas. In the particular instance illustrated, a throw of six by a particular player will be required, whereupon that player inserts a .peg 13 in each of the six holes or recesses making up the lowermost row of same in his play area. He must then obtain another throw of six before he can place ball 15 between a selected pair of the pegs 13 of such bottom row.

A throw of five will be necessary for him to place pegs in the five holes or recesses of the next higher row, and another throw of five for him to move his ball 15 up to the new row of five. This continues until that or another of the players is at the uppermost row, as shown in the right-hand play area of Fig. 1. A prescribed throw, for example seven, will then be necessary for movement of such players ball 15 into the large center recess 12. The game may end there, or that particular player may remove all his pegs from his play area and start a new ball on its way toward the recess.

Interest and excitement are added to the game by providing that the throw of doubles by a player permits him to remove a peg from an opponents play area. The peg removed will be one of those supporting an opponents marble 15, which means that the marble will roll backwardly down the gradually inclined play area 11 until it comes to rest between two pegs of a lower row. whose ball was thus rolled backwardly to again ascend as prescribed by the rules.

It can thus be seen that the structural combination of sloping play areas in the game board and the playing pieces as described provide a new form of interest and excitement in the playing of an indoor table game. vWhereas this invention is here illustrated and described with respect to a particular form thereof, it should be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the claims that here follow without departing from the essential inventive concepts here taught.

I claim:

1. A game structure, comprising a game board having a plurality of lateral sides gradually sloped in converging formation from a low level in common to a higher level in common; at least two equidiameter balls; a multiplicity of individual ball-restraining pieces; and an equal number of securing means for removably receiving and retaining said ball-restraining pieces, respectively, said means being arranged in mutually similar groups operably associated with the said lateral sides, respectively, of the game board structure, each of said groups having its said securing means mutually spaced laterally by re- It will then be necessary for the player I I .game board.

3. The game structure of claim 2, wherein the pyramidal formation is truncated; and wherein a cup-shaped recess is formed at the truncated apex of the formation, for receiving balls of players who succeed in ascending to the top of the game board.

4. The game structure of claim 3, wherein the ball- I restraining pieces are pegs, and the securing means are holes in the lateral sides of the game board structure, such holes being dimensioned to receive respective pegs in close frictional fit.

5. The game structure of claim 4, wherein the holes of each row above the bottom row are staggered relative to the holesin the next lower row.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 768,300 Probes Aug. 23, 1904 1,302,805 Jentz May 6, 1919 1,494,876 Zander May 20, 1924 1,565,525 Tatosian Dec. 15, 1925 2,253,787 Kelly Aug. 26, 1941 2,298,998 Albosta Oct. 13, 1942 2,607,592 Finnerty Aug. 19, 1952 2,729,451 Larson Ian. 3, 1956 

